Drilling rig substructure



April 29, 1952 W F, BATES ET AL 2,594,847

DRILLING RIG SUBSTRUCTURE Filed Dec. 29, 1947 5 sheets-sheet 1 fia. 7

April 29, 1952 w. F. BATES ETAL DRILLING RIG SUBSTRUCTURE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 29. 1947 April 29, 1952 Filed Dec. 29, 1947 w. F. BA1-Es ETAL 2,594,847

DRILLING RIG SUBSTRUCTURE 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 April 29, 1952 w. F. BATES ETAL DRILLING RIG sUBsTRUcTURE 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Dec. 29, 1947 April 29, 1952 Filed Deo. 29, 1947 W. F. BATES ETAL DRILLING RIG SUBSTRUCTURE ne ne e o r-1 10 Fiq.8

Inventors:

bq +heir AH'or nen@ 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Wliam F. Bai-es James N. Greqorq Charms S. Penield Patented Apr. 29, 1.952

ADRILLINGr RIG SUBSTRUCTURE William F. Bates, South Pasadena, James N. Gregory, La Habra, and Charles S. Penfield, Bakersfield, Calif., assgnors to Shell Development Company, San Francisco, Calif., a corporation of Delaware Application December 29, 1947, Serial No. 794,370 l 'I'his invention relates to well derricks and pertains more particularly to a portable substructure for a derrick and other equipment.`

The costs of moving drilling equipment to a new drilling location and rigging it up preparatory to the drilling of a well have always constituted a considerable portion of well drilling costs. Much of the equipment, especially the derrick itself and its substructure, is bulky and heavy and cannot be moved easily over certain terrain without dismantling and later reassembling it at a new location. In an eiort to reduce the costs of moving drilling equipment, various types of port'- able rigs have been designed which may be moved either as a whole or in sections. Rigs constructed to be moved as a whole are generally small rigs adapted for service work or for drilling shallow wells, while the larger deep well rigs are designed to be dismantled or moved in sections or units. The movement of any rig capable of being used to drill a Well of at least medium depth (say 6000 ft.) involves substantial breakdown of the rig into a number of large, heavy units which are expensive to move and are often too large to move over certain terrain. While there has been considerable development in improving the design, utility and mobility of portable derricks, little advance has been made in similarly developing the larger deep well rigs and drilling rig substructures upon which the derrick and other equipment is supported.

It istherefore a primary object of this invention to provide an improved, mobile drilling rig substructure upon which a derrick and other drilling equipment may be mounted or supported.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a portable drilling rig substructure. capable of being dismantled into a plurality of units or sections which can be loaded on a minimum number of trailers or trucks, or preferably a single trailer or truck when being transported.

2 Claims. (Cl. Z55-19) Another object of this invention is to provide construction whereby sufficient space is provided for the placement of blowout equipment beneath the operating floor of the substructure without the digging of deep cellars.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a sectionalized, portable drilling rig substructure whereby the necessity for accurate alignment of the sections is reduced to a minimum Without reducing the rigidity of the substructure or interfering with the desired accurate placement of equipment with regard to the well bore.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a sectionalized portable drilling rig substructure having a centrally located open bay wherein a rotary table may be located when mounted directly on a drilling riser.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a derrick and derrick structure wherein drill pipe withdrawn from the Well is racked to rest directly on the ground, thus eliminating the necessity of supporting the burden of said pipe on the derrick structure, and providing for greater ease and additional floor space for the handling of said pipe by the drilling crew, as well as more space in the derrick to rack pipe.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a sectionalized portable drilling rig substructure comprising floor units mounted on elongatedextending base units whereby a rotary table may be mounted on said floor units While a drawworlzs may be located at a lower level on the base units.

`Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent'from the following detailed description taken with reference to the drawings wherein:

Figures 1 and 2 are diagrammatic top and front views, respectively, of an embodiment of the portable substructure of the present invention.

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic side view of a substructure of the present invention with a derrick shown mounted thereon.

Figure4 is a diagrammatic side view of another preferred embodiment of a substructure of the present invention showing a derrick and other well drilling equipment mounted thereon.

Figures 5 and 6 are front and top View, respectively, of Figure 4.

Figure 7 is a diagrammatic view of an embodiment of a substructure of the present invention when `dismantled and mounted on a trailer for moving.

Figures 8 and 9 are diagrammatic front and side views of another embodiment of a substructure of the present invention.

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary View illustrating one means of clamping the units together.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawing, the portable drilling rig substructure, as shown diagrammatically, comprises two base sections or truss units I and II and two oor section or truss units I2 and I3. In erecting the present structure, the base trusses generally are made longer than the combined width of the oor trusses and are adapted to be normally placed in parallel spaced relationship at the selected drilling site on either side of the projected well bore. The floor trusses I2 and I3 may then be mounted on the base trusses I0 and II in parallel spaced relationship to each other and at substantially right angles to the base trusses. The floor trusses I2 and I3 may be mounted near the ends of the base trusses Ill and II, as shown in Figure l, to allow other equipment to be mounted on the base trusses near the other ends of said trusses. With the substructure thus completed, a derrick I4 having a large base may be secured to the base trusses Ill and I I, as shown in Figure 3, or a derrick with a smaller base may be mounted directly on the floor trusses, as shown in Figure 4. One of the special features of the present substructure, comprising spaced parallel trusses, is that either pair of trusses may be spread to accommodate a derrick of any size. It will be readily seen that the positioning of the floor and base trusses in an over-and-under relationship and at substantially right angles to each other will yield a resultant substructure having a high degree of rigidity without requiring particular bracing between the trusses. Also, a substructure of a sufiicient height to eliminate the digging of a cellar is formed by employing small easily-handled sections, while drilling equipment is readily accommodated due to the spaced relationship of the units of the substructure as will be shown hereinbelow. An added advantage of the substructure of the present invention is that, if desired, a large derrick may be first erected on suitable footings, after which the trusses may be placed in spaced parallel relationship thereunder, thus permitting the building of a substructure after the derrick has been erected. (Figures 8 and 9.)

A preferred embodiment of the portable drilling rig substructure of the present invention is shown in greater detail in Figures 4, 5 and 6 comprising base trusses I5 and I6 and floor trusses I'I and i3 with a derrick I9 shown mounted thereon. Each truss, as for example base truss I6, may comprise, as shown in Figure 5, an elongated quadrangular framework of longitudinal members 66, 6T, 68 and B9 spaced and supported from each other by transverse members 1d, ll, 'i2 and 'I3 and reinforced by a lattice of diagonal members 'I4 (Figure 4) in a manner well known in structural arts. These members may be in the form of tubes. beams, rods. bars and the like, made of any suitable material having the desired strength such 'as iron, steel, aluminum, magnesium and the like; alloys of the same, or wood. Preferably, they are made of a strong, lightweight alloy in the form of tubes or I-beams and are fastened together to form units in any suitable manner as by Welding, riveting, bolting, etc.

As shown in Figure 7, the trusses are preferably designed so as to be mounted on a single truck or trailer when being transported to a new location. As shown, the base trusses I5 and I6 are placed side by side on the bed of the trailer While the floor trusses I'I and I8 are loaded end to end on top of said base trusses. The preferred dimensions of the trusses are such that the size of the assembled trailer load will be Within the local legal limit for transportation over the highways. However, if larger trusses are needed or desired, they may be readily moved by additional trailers.

After the site for the well has been selected, an area of ground is generally leveled where the base trusses I5 and I6 are to be placed. Normally no foundation need be prepared but, if desired, two spaced, parallel strips 2I and 22 (Figure 5) of concrete foundation may be poured to provide a substantial foundation for the substructure. The space between these foundation strips is preferably wide enough to allow a truck or trailer to back-up between the base trusses I5 and I6 when positioned on said strips 2I and 22, thus facilitating the transfer of other drilling equipment from said trailer to the substructure. If desired, a shallow cellar 23 may be dug out around the proposed well hole site but one of the advantages of employing a substructure according to the present invention is that ample clearance is provided under a rotary table 26, mounted between floor trusses I'I and I8 so that the digging of such cellars is normally eliminated, or at least substantially minimized. This cellar 23, if dug, may also be lined with concrete or other materials.

In rigging up the substructure of the present invention, the trailer containing the base trusses I5 and I6 and the floor trusses I'I and I8 may be positioned between or adjacent the foundation strips 2I and 22. To facilitate the handling of the trusses, trailers with low beds may be used and the trusses may be made of lightweight alloys. The base trusses I5 and I6 may be unloaded from the trailer and lowered into proper position on the foundation strips 2| and 22. One of the advantages of this substructure is that it need not be anchored to the ground or to a foundation. If the trusses are light in weight, the raising, lowering and positioning of the same may be done by a lightweight A-frame; heavier trusses may require the use of means such as cranes, hoists, jacks or the like. The base trusses I5 and I6 may be of a long, narrow and low construction as shown in Figures 4, 5 and 6. They are preferably of such length as to accommodate the floor trusses IT and I8 and other drilling equipment placed on them of such height as to be near the height of the truck or trailer bed for easy handling of equipment that is placed on them, and of such width that, when moving, they are placed side by side on a trailer Without exceeding the legal load width. Base trusses so constructed allow loads placed thereon to be spread over a large bearing area. They also minimize the necessity for substantial foundations such as are normally used in conventional installations.

With the base trusses I5 and IB positioned on the foundations, the floor trusses I'I and I8 are placed on and across said base trusses I5 and I6, at substantially right angles thereto and in parallel spaced relation to each other, likewise on either side of the projected well bore. Before securing the floor trusses, they may be properly positioned with relation to each other and to the centerline of the hole to be drilled by sliding and adjusting them onV the base trusses. The

" of various sizes.

spacing between the floor trusses I'I and I8 should be suflicient to accommodate a rotary table 26 used in drilling. As shown in Figure 4, the floor trusses I'I and I8 should preferably be connected to the base trusses I and I6, near one end thereof so that other drilling equipment may be mounted on the remaining portions of said base trusses. Connections between the floor and base trusses may be made by any suitable means, such as bolts 2'I, clamps etc., which may be easily removed when the substructure is dismantled. It is to be noted that the placement of the base trusses I5 and IB need not be critical or excessively accurate with relation to each other or to the floor trusses I'I and I8, and therefore any suitable movable clamping means may be employed to secure the desired alignment with regard to the well bore, such as sliding clamps, slotted bolt holes, or the like. This is illustrated in Figure 10, wherein two structural members 28 and 29, forming part of a base and of a floor truss respectively, and having slotted bolt holes 30 and 3I therein, are connected by means of a bolt 32.

In the embodiment of Figure 5, a floor truss Il or I8 comprises six longitudinal members of which 33, 64 and 65 are shown in the drawings.

means, as by welding. As shown in Figure 5,

the central portion of the lowermost longitudinal members may be removed when fabricating the truss to decrease the weight of the truss and to increase the clearance thereunder, thus facilitating the installation of blowout equipment 36. The tops of the floor trusses Il and I8 are covered with flooring 37 (Figure 6) which may be of any desired material, as wood, metal, or the like. The space between the two floor trusses I'I and I8 not occupied by any drilling equipment may be covered with similar flooring or removable flooring panels 38, 39 and 40 (Figure 6) which may be secured to the two floor trusses in any suitable manner as by hinges, bolts, plate fasteners 4I, or the like.

After the floor trusses I'I and I8 have been fastened tothe base trusses I5 and I3 as above described, a derrick I9, preferably one of the portable type, may be moved in and raised, rigged up or assembled by any suitable means commonly known to the art. The derrick legs 43 may be secured or fastened, by any suitable means as by derrick footings 42 and bolts 44, to the top of the floor trusses I1 and I8, and preferably to the longitudinal members 33 thereof. In general, any type and size of derrick or mast may be used with the substructure of the present invention. The base trusses I5 and I6 and the floor trusses I'I and I8 may be moved toward or away from each other to accommodate derricks from each other is preferably predetermined by the base size of the derrick to be mounted on the substructure. If desired, a derrick I4 of large base size may be mounted directly on the base trusses II, as shown in Figure 3, wherein a portion of said truss I I extends on either side of the floor trusses I2 and I3 to accommodate said derrick I4.

With the floor trusses Il and i5 in place, the rotary table 26 (Figure 6) and its drive or transmission means 4S may be moved in. The rotary table 26 and its drive' means 46 may be secured to the floor trusses I'I and I8 at any height de- The spacing of the base trusses sired. The rotary table drive 46 may be mounted on the floor trusses at the flooring 31 level, while the rotary table 26 may be mounted on spaced parallel supporting members or beams 4'I and 48 (Figures 4 and 5) the latter of which may be removably and adjustably connected, as by bolt means 6I, to structural members of the iioor trusses II and I8 at a height such that the top of the rotary table 26 is substantially flush with the flooring 31 on the floor trusses.

Other related drilling equipment, which is diagrammatically represented in Figures 4, 5 and 6 as a drawworks 49 and as a power unit 50', may be moved in and mounted, in any suitable manner, on the extending portions of the base trusses I5 and I6 or on movable platforms or frames 5I and 52 secured to and between said base trusses. If the drawworks 49 is mounted at a low level it may be desirable to have afcat shaft 53 mounted above said drawworks 49 sc as'to have ready access thereto from the operating floor 3l of the derrick. If the cat shaft 53 is mounted as above described, another panel 54 of flooring may be extended from the floor trusses, one end of said panel 55 being attached to the flooring 3l of the substructure while the other end is supported in any suitable manner, as by structural upriglits 55. As illustrated, the power unit 50 is operatively connected to the drawworks 49 and the cat shaft 53 by sprocket drive chains 56 and 5l, respectively.

When a portable substructure of very light weight and construction is employed, it is desirable to have it support a minimum of weight at any time. Considerable weight may be removed from a substructure if drill pipe is racked on the ground instead of on the operating floor of the substructure. In order to rack drill pipe on the ground when using a, substructure according to the present invention, an opening 58 (Figure 6) in the flooring 31 may be formed by removing a panel of flooring. The weight of the rotary table 26 and drill pipe (not shown) depending therefrom may be also removed from the substructure after drilling operations have progressed. After the blowout equipment 36 and drilling riser 59 have been set, any suitable support means may be installed between the blowout equipment 36 and the rotary table 25. In the present embodiment, supporting members or beams 66 are positioned between the top of the blowout equipment 36 and the beams 48 supporting the rotary table 26. Now, when the bolts 6I (Figure 5) connecting said beams 48 to the floor trusses are removed, it will be seen that the weight of the rotary table 2E will be supported directly on the riser 59, thus removing this weight from the substructure. Normally, the rotary table may be positioned between the iioor trusses I'I and I8 and centered with regard to the projected borehole by any suitable spacing means such as table jacks 52, Figure 4. After the well has been drilled, the installation of completion equipment such as the Christmas tree may be accomplished without any dismantling of the substructure other than to remove the rotary table 25. the table drive 46, and the removable central floor panels 38. 39 and 40; and blowout equipment 35.

It will be seen that considerable advantages are derived from the use of the substructure described hereinabove. In unloading other related drilling equipment from a truck or trailer onto the substructure, the extending base trusses and their spaced relationship permits a truck to be backed into position between them so as to facilitate the transfer of equipment from the truck to said base trusses. Placement of the machinery on these bases also leaves the operating floor of the derrick free of this machinery thus giving the operators more working space around the rotary table. Additional weight may be removed from the operating iloor and the substructure by incorporating a racking bay in the floor whereby the .pipe may be racked on the grounds beneath said bay.

While the above description has been conned to a substructure having two spaced base trusses and two spaced floor trusses, it is clear that any number of oor trusses such, for example, as one, three or more may be used. Another embodiment of the substructure of the present invention, shown diagrammatically in Figures 8 and 9, comprises three spaced parallel floor trusses H2, H3 and I I4 mounted on two spaced parallel base trusses H and l H. Such a substructure may be easily installed under a standard derrick l I5 after said derrick has been erected directly on the ground over the proposed drilling site. The derrick H5 may be rigidly braced to the trusses by braces 129. Instead of mounting the rotary table HB between the floor trusses as heretofore described, the rotary table may be xedly mounted within one of the oor trusses, for example, the central truss H3 and may thus be installed together therewith. With a substructure having spaced floor trusses H2, H3' and H4, the drill pipe may be racked on the ground, or atany height above it, through a bay H9 in the flooring H8 between the trusses H2 and H3 rather than in, or through, the trusses themselves. While the drawworks 49 in Figures 4 and 6 was shown as being positioned outside the derrick, with a standard size derrick the drawworks H1 can be mounted on the operating oor H8 within the derrick H5.

We claim as our invention:

1. A rig substructure for use at the head of a well bore, comprising two portable prefabricated base truss units of substantial length and quadrangular cross-section, said base truss units being positioned on the ground parallel to each other on either side of the well bore, two portable prefabricated floor truss units of a length lesser than that of the base units and of quadrangular crosssection, said floor truss units being disposed parallel to each other on top of said base units and at right angles thereto on each side of the bore hole, substantial lengths of said underlying base truss units extending beyond said floor truss units to form a loading hay therebetween for installing drilling equipment on said base truss units, -removable clamping means holding said pre-formed base and oor units together, ooring means on said loor truss units forming a nrst platform, ooring means on top of the extending portions of the base truss units forming a second platform, a rotary table supported on said rst platform, and drawworks supported on said second platform.

2. A rig substructure for use at the head of a well bore, comprising two portable prefabricated base truss units of substantial length and quadrangular cross-section, said base truss units being positioned on the ground parallel to each other on either side of the well bore, two portable prefabricated floor truss units of a length lesser than that of the base units and of quadrangular crosssection, said oor truss units being disposed parallel to each other on top of said base units and at right angles thereto on each side of the bore hole, substantial lengths of said underlying base truss units extending beyond said iioor truss units to form a loading bay therebetween for installing drilling equipment on said base truss units, removable clamping means holding said pre-formed base and oor units together, ooring means on said floor truss units forming a iirst platform, a rotary table supported on said first platform, and drawworks supported on the eX- tending portions of said base truss units and forming a second platorm over said loading bay.

WILLIAM F. BATES. JAMES N. GREGORY. CHARLES S. PENFIELD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

